DoorDash, a San Francisco-based technology company, is pleased to announce their partnership with General Motors' Cruise Automation, an industry leader in autonomous vehicles. Starting in March 2019, DoorDash and Cruise will test the first food deliveries using autonomous vehicles in San Francisco. For more information see the IDTechEx report on Last Mile Electric Vehicles 2018-2028.

DoorDash and Cruise are looking to answer three primary questions:

What key technical and infrastructure challenges exist with autonomous delivery?

How can autonomous delivery positively impact merchants, dashers, and customers?

Are autonomous vehicles capable of achieving the same quality standards DoorDash customers have come to know and love?

The pilot begins in San Francisco, a complex and intricate city where Cruise has been testing vehicles for the past three years. To begin, the team has built a runner system to move orders from the merchant to the autonomous vehicle. Then, the customer will be notified when the autonomous vehicle is approaching the customer address.

In partnership with Cruise Automation, DoorDash is looking forward to scaling and improving the delivery experience for merchants, dashers, and customers.